forensic: biological approach Flashcards
What did Lombroso argue about criminals?
Lombroso argued that criminals were “genetic throwbacks” and biologically different from non-criminals.
How would modern society likely respond to Lombroso’s theory?
Modern society would likely disagree, viewing criminal behavior as influenced by social, economic, and psychological factors.
Why is Lombroso’s theory considered outdated?
It is seen as simplistic and fails to account for the complexity of criminal behavior, which is not predetermined by genetics.
What is an important perspective on individual accountability in criminal behavior?
Individuals should be held accountable for their actions, regardless of genetic predispositions.
how did Lombroso view offenders
Seen as lacking evolutionary development,
seen as savage and untamed.
assumed they would find it impossible to adjust to civilised society and would inevitably turn to crime.
Assumed the behaviour was innate. and wasn’t the fault of the offender
explain the atavistic form
argued the offender subtype would possess particular physiological ‘markers’ that were linked to the type of offences
biologically determined as atavistic characteristics, mainly facial features that make offenders different
example of the atavistic form
skull: narrow, sloping brow
high cheek bones
prominent jaw
facial asymmetry
other features include:
- dark skin
- extra toes, nipples or fingers
- use of slang
- tattoos
- unemployment
outline offender types
Categorised particular types of offenders in terms of physical and facial characteristics
implications:
led to false imprisonment
Innocent people could’ve been imprisoned based on their physical appearance
state characteristics of the offender type: murderer
bloodshot eyes
curly hair
long ears
state characteristics of the offender type: sexual deviants
glinting eyes
swollen, fleshy lips and projecting ears
lips of fraudsters were thin and ‘reedy’
outline his research
examine facial and cranial features of hundreds of Italian comnvicts, both living and dead
He examine the scores of 383 dead convicts and 3839, living ones and concluded that 40% of criminal acts are committed by people with atavistic features
possible AO3 points
issues of generalisability- only studied italian offenders
atavistic form in the dead could be due to decomposition or injury prior to death
large sample size between dead and living convicts
poor control > no comparison between an experimental and control group
AO3: poor control
methods lack control
he didn’t compare his offender sample with an offender control group
Research has demonstrated links between crime and social conditions and poor educational outcomes (Hay and Forest 2009)
LIMITATION as it suggets research did not meet modern scientific standards as they were confounding variables that we’re not controlled
AO3: contradictory evidence
evidence contradicts the link between atavism and crime
Charles Goring, (1913) aimed to establish whether there was anything physically atypical about offenders
After conducting a comparison between 3000 offendes and 3000 non-offenders he found no evidence that offenders had unusual facial and cranial characteristics> he found that they had lower intelligence
LIMITATION as this challenges the idea that offenders can be physically distinguished from the rest of the population
AO3: Lombroso’s legacy
a strength is that it changed the face of the study of crime
he has been credited for shifting the emphasis in crime research away from a moralistic discourse (where offenders are judged as wicked and weak-minded)
STRENGTH as it suggests Lombroso made a major contribution to the science of criminology and he’s been hailed as the ‘father of modern criminology’
COUNTER critics like Matt DeLisi question whether his research is entirely positive
he drew attention to the racist undertones in his work > many of the atavistic features are found in those of African descent > basically suggesting Africans are more likely to be offenders (a view that fit 19th century eugenics)
THEREFORE: some aspects were highly subjective rather than objective and influenced by racial prejudice
